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Jesus Knows.
Revelation 1:12-18, 20 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.... 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. We are given a symbolic picture of Jesus that reveals his divine role, power and attributes. Jesus is shown standing among the seven churches (1:12, 16, 20) with the seven pastors of the churches in His right hand (1:17b, 20; note that “angels” can be translated “messengers” and in the context of the seven local churches would be the pastors sent to lead the local church). In verse 13 “son of man” is how Jesus referred to Himself in the gospels. This title came from Daniel 7:13 and refers to the returning son of man to rule over all forever. The clothing of robe and sash highlight His role as Priest (Exodus 28:4; Hebrews 7-8). Verses 14-15 reveal Jesus as God, the Ancient of Days with His hair of white wool, who is the Judge of all (Daniel 7:9-10). The eyes of flaming fire, feet of burnished bronze, and voice like the roar of many waters speak also of Jesus as the Judge. Verse 16 reveals Jesus, the Word of God able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the local pastors’ and churches’ hearts (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is the light of the world who praises the good and reveals the darkness of sin in each church that is always in His presence (“face like the sun shining in full strength” John 3:19-20). Verses 17-18 reveal the purity and power of Jesus to reward our righteousness and to expose our sin and forgive it so we can live eternally with Him without fear of judgment. The forgiveness is gained by repenting of our sin and believing the gospel (Mark 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 10:9; John 14:1-3). Jesus knows all about us and loves each and every one of us. He died for our sins. No greater love is expressed than for someone to die for another. He knows the sin in our life and reveals it to us as we come into His presence in the word and prayer. He offers us forgiveness of our sin and the power to live free from sin. Are you meeting with Jesus daily in the word and prayer so He can praise your righteous living and expose your sin? If you are, you are being transformed day by day. If you are not, sin is gaining a foothold in your life and conforming you to the destructive ways of the world. Jesus wants to be with you. He wants to teach you and lead you through His word. He wants to talk with you and spend time in relationship with you. You are loved with the greatest love, a love that never fails. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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 Spirit led Leadership.
Revelation 1:9-11, 19 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea…. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” John is a great leader and example to follow. Notice that he considers himself a part of the family, “your brother." He leads the family of God by partnering with them in a few different ways:
If we are disciples of Jesus, then we are going to experience the distresses of serving Jesus, the benefits of serving Jesus, the responsibilities of serving Jesus, and the need to patiently endure the persecution that results from serving Jesus. Are you willing to suffer together with the family of God? The suffering may include being banished from all other believers, like John experienced on the island of Patmos. While banished on the island away from fellowship with other believers, John was in complete fellowship with the Lord as the beginning of verse 10 says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” No one can keep us from being in close fellowship with Lord since the Holy Spirit dwells in us (Ephesians 1:13-14). Because John stayed in fellowship with the Lord even in the midst of persecution, we are blessed with a written document to help us know how to live in the present and be prepared for the future. We need to stay in fellowship with the Lord during the distressing troubles that result from carrying out the assignments Jesus has given us. If we do, then Jesus will enable us to benefit many people. Set your mind now to remain strong in the Lord even in the midst of persecution. John wrote the message Jesus had given him in a book and had him send it to seven local churches in Asia. John obeyed the Lord and millions have been blessed by what he wrote down from the Lord in 95 AD. As we obey the Lord by completing our God-given assignments, many will benefit. Set your mind to obey God no matter how tough your circumstances are. Look in the word of God and see plainly your God-given assignments. If you cannot see through the word of God what your assignment(s) is then ask the Lord to help you see just as He helped John. May you know your assignment from the Lord and do it. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Revelation 1:4-9 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. What a way to start out the revelation of Jesus Christ, "Grace to you... and peace from Him..." In verses 4-6a John introduces himself to the seven churches in Asia and bestows grace and peace on them from the triune God described as: Him who is, who was and who is to come (God the Father); as the seven spirits who are before His throne (God the Holy Spirit); as Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings on earth, the one who has freed believers from their sins by his blood and made believers a kingdom of priests to His God and Father (God the Son). In verse 6b John instructs us that “to Him" (the triune God) belongs glory and dominion forever and ever. In verse 7 we are told that God the Son is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will wail or mourn because of Him. Daniel, the prophet, predicted the return of the Christ on the clouds (Daniel 7:13-14). An angel told the disciples that just as Jesus ascended in the cloud to heaven, He will come again from heaven the same way (Acts 1:9-11). When Jesus comes it will be very public and all will see His coming (Matthew 24:25-31). In verse 8 we are told that the Lord God (who is, who was and who is to come, the Almighty) is the Alpha and Omega. Jesus is also the Alpha and Omega, the returning Creator God (Revelation 1:17-18; 21:6; 22:13). Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet. Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. We, as believers, serve the Creator God. Jesus is returning to reign in righteousness as King over all the earth. Until then we are free from the power of sin and are to be willing to serve God in tribulation with patient endurance as we make known the good news of Jesus Christ to the people in our sphere of influence. May you know God and make Him known. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Revelation 1:1-3 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who obey what is written in it, for the time is near. The Revelation to John was given to him in about 95 AD. He was on the island of Patmos because he was actively living for and testifying about Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation. He was banished to the island of Patmos because he obeyed God rather than men when he was told to quit speaking about Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. Would you obey God rather men if you were going to be imprisoned on an island for proclaiming the gospel? The revelation of Jesus Christ was given to John to write down because God wanted His servants to know what was going to take place in their lives. God revealed His will to the seven churches and to all the Church throughout all time before the return of Christ. This revelation is not in chronological order, but is rather more like a Power Point presentation that takes us to the time just before the return of Christ and then back to cover a shorter period of time in more detail three times. The revelation includes four key themes:
In the content of the revelation, we find teaching that is to be obeyed by the Church throughout the ages. John saw the revelation and recorded it for the benefit of the Church. Those who read the revelation to the church (or teach it) and those who hear and obey the revelation will be blessed. With all that is going on in our world today, this is a very relevant book to know. It teaches us what is going to happen and how to live until all that will happen occurs. I encourage each of you who will go through this devotional trek through Revelation to read through it as many times as you can to get a more complete picture of what is now and what will be as we move closer to the coming of Christ. Remember, the blessing comes to those who obey. This is not a mere intellectual exercise, but rather motivation to live obedient to Christ now, even if it means persecution. May you learn, live out, and pass on this teaching to others. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:20-21 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Jesus has given every true believer the capacity to understand His word. The Apostle Paul states this in 1 Corinthians 2:12, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God." The true believer knows he can understand the scriptures and studies them trusting the Holy Spirit to give him understanding (John 14:26). If the believer does not understand the word of God, then, he prays asking the Lord to give him understanding. This is God’s will and he will gain understanding. As we read and understand the scriptures we get to know the Lord and are not fooled by people preaching a different Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). There is only one name given in heaven and earth by which people can be saved and that name is Jesus (Acts 4:11-12). John wraps up his letter with one last command: All believers are commanded to keep themselves from idols. An idol is something we are trusting to give us what we need. Idols can be money, jobs, people, intellect, etc. We need to keep our trust in God alone to meet our every need. Idolatry is spiritual adultery. We are the bride of Christ and are not to go outside our marriage covenant with Him to get our needs met. John wants to make sure we know we have a relationship with Jesus and then he encourages us to remain faithful. As the Apostle John writes, "I write these things that you may know you have eternal life..." May you know Jesus and walk in Him. (Tomorrow we will start a study through the book of Revelation. You will not want to miss out. Tell a friend.) Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:18-19 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. In our world today the genuine Christians are those that do not practice sin. If a genuine Christian sins, he regrets it, repents, confesses it to the Lord, receives His forgiveness and makes restitution to the one sinned against (usually by asking for forgiveness). Many claim to be Christians, but are deceived and have no desire to obey the Lord, but much desire to continue on in their habits of anger, laziness, sexual sin, abusive speech, and more, with no repentance. These “name only Christians” think they can sin all they want with no repentance because in the end God will forgive them. Real faith is characterized by a desire to obey and not by unrepentant practice of sin. Satan tempts believers to sin, but Jesus protects those who are truly His. True believers know they belong to the Lord, and that the world is in the power of the evil one. True believers are not letting themselves be conformed to the ways of the world, but are renewing their minds in the word of God, are practicing the word of God by faith in the Son of God. They are being transformed into the image of the Christ more and more each year they are alive. The transformation of the real Christian will be obvious to all around him. May you run to Jesus today. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:16-17 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life- to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. The believer is instructed to ASK God to give life to his brother when he sees him committing a sin that does not lead to death. The believer is also instructed to NOT pray for a believer that is committing a sin that leads to death. This is a hard passage to understand, but let's dive in together. It will be worth it. How do we know if the sin a believer is committing leads to death or does not lead to death? We know for sure what sin this is not referring to. It is not the unpardonable sin of unbelief because in Romans the Apostle Paul prayed for his unbelieving country men to be saved (Romans 9:1-3; 10:1). Paul prayed quite passionately. Check it out: "I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh." We do know that there are sins that lead to physical death for believers. What are these sins? Remember the deaths of Ananias and Sapphire in Acts 5:1-10 and the deaths of Corinthian believers who were disciplined by the Lord in 1 Corinthians 11:29-32. The sin of Ananias and Sapphire was lying and I'm sure more in their heart like greed. Ouch. Yes, lying is sin, but just because you may choose to lie it doesn't mean you will die. So, what are the sins that lead to death for believers? There are not specific sins, but instead, specific circumstances where God disciplines His children by making them weak, sick and even dead (taking them home to be with Him). The Lord must reveal to us if a believer’s sin is unto death, just as He did to Peter and to Paul (Acts 5:9; 1 Corinthians 11:29-32). I have not witnessed this personally, but it can happen. Unless the Lord reveals it specifically to us we are to assume the sin of a believer does not lead to death and diligently pray. One last thought, we are not to talk to others about a brother’s sin, but we are to pray God will turn the brother away from his sin and return him to abundant life. Prayer is powerful. Spend some time in prayer today for your family and those in your sphere of influence. May you engage in prayer to help set people free from sin today. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:13-15 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." The Lord wants each person who has repented of his sin and believed the gospel to know for certain that he has eternal life according to 1 John 5:13. John gives us four ways to know for certain we have eternal life with Jesus:
Not only does the Lord want us to know for certain we have eternal life with Him, but also He wants us to be confident He will answer our specific prayer requests. 1 John 5:14-15 says if we ask anything according to His will, then we know He hears us and if we know He hears us, then we know we have what we have asked for. Check out how this applies to our prayer life: I know the Lord desires us to hear His voice (John 10:27). If I pray a certain believer will hear Jesus’ voice, I know he will hear the Lord’s voice. As we pray the prayers of the New Testament, we know He hears us and we have what we have asked (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). May you know for certain you are a child of God and pray with confidence. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:6-12 This is he who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. The Apostle John is making the case that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The people of his day understood more clearly than we do that “Son of God” makes a person equal with God. The Son of God is by nature God, the Creator (John 10:33-36). John writes in John 1:1-3, 14that Jesus Christ is God. John gives three witnesses to validate that Jesus is the Son of God. The Spirit and the water and the blood testify that Jesus is the Son of God.
Verse 11 gives us what the testimony is that John is writing about, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” The Spirit, the water and the blood testify that having Jesus is having eternal life. John and every believer proclaim this testimony that God has given eternal life to all who believe in His Son. Those who believe God have the testimony of verse 11 in him. Whoever does not believe the testimony of verse 11 calls God a liar. Does this make sense? We who believe that God has given us eternal life in Jesus Christ need to follow the Apostle John’s example given in 1 John 1:1-4. We need to testify we have eternal life because we believe Jesus is the Son of God and proclaim it to all around us. Who will you share your testimony with today? Who will you proclaim the gospel to today? How about this week? If you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior tell your family, tell somebody. May you know you have eternal life with Jesus. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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1 John 5:4-5 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? The Greek noun, nike (victory) and the Greek verb, nikao (overcome) are used multiple times in the above passage. In the words nike and nikao all the vowels are pronounced. The point the Apostle John is making is that each person who has been born of God by repenting of his sin and believing the gospel is victorious over the sinful world. Sin is destructive, deceptive and deadly. All people and all creation have been infected by sin. Sin ruins families, destroys nations, and brings death to all. Jesus’ death on the cross, resurrection from the dead and rule from His heavenly throne overcomes the world. We live in victory over our sinful body and environment by faith in Jesus, the Son of God (which is another way of calling Him the Creator God). Jesus has made it possible for us to have families that overcome sin and are whole and complete rather than divided and fractured. Jesus has made it possible for us to live an abundant life in the midst of sinful people and our sin infected environment. Jesus has made it possible to overcome death and live eternally with Him in a new heavens and earth. We can live as victors over sin instead of as victims of sin. We do this by living by faith in Jesus, the Son of God. We live by faith by learning what we are to be and do by systematically learning the Bible. We live by faith when we attempt to live what we learn expecting Jesus to fulfill our attempt with His power. It is easy to live as a victim. It takes living by the power of God to live as a victor. May you experience victory today. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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